The Falcons were their own worst enemies in a nail-biting 9-7 loss to the Panthers.
Atlanta drops to 6-9 while the Panthers picked up only their second win of the campaign.
Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder has taken the loss hard and blames himself for giving the ball away while leading 8-7 and 18 yards from Carolina’s N-zone.
“I was trying to get back inside,” Ridder told the team’s website.
“Any time you’re throwing late over the middle, it’s probably not a good idea. I was trying to make a play, and I tried to do too much.”
Ridder threw an errant pass intercepted by safety Xavier Woods.
Carolina would hold onto the ball and drive their way forward setting up a 23-yard match winning field goal by kicker Eddy Pineiro.
The Panthers offense could not find their way past the Falcons and relied on three Pineiro field goals to seal the game.
To stand any chance if going through to post season the Falcons have to win their last three games starting with the Colts in week 16.
The Falcons then play the beatable Bears followed by a last game against the Saints.
